1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lower leg protection garments, and more specifically to a lower leg protection garment which is applied closely onto the surface of lower leg regions of a human body and provides taping functions primarily to reinforce body parts which are susceptible to cause sprain, blown muscle, torn muscle and other muscle injuries in sports activities, to reinforce body parts which have been previously injured and prevent the relapse of the injury, and to prevent muscle injury without hindering the physical exercise ability.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally in sports or training activities, articles specifically designed for prevention of an injury or an injury relapse, or taping treatments applied by swathing or sticking an elastic or non-elastic adhesive tape around a joint, muscle or ligament of a human body for treatment or prevention of muscle injury have been broadly utilized as an effective means to treat or prevent injuries. That is, such measures have been taken for injury prevention, prevention of pain caused by fatigue or relapse of such pain, first-aid treatments conducted at the spot immediately after the injury, and also for reinforcement or strengthening of the injured part after healing.
In addition to the above mentioned taping treatment, supporters having a tube-like shape made of stretchable, relatively thick, pile fabrics or rubber materials including neoprene are often used to compress human body regions, such as ankles or the vicinity of a knee joint inwardly from the circumference.
However, the above-mentioned conventional taping method requires skill and if the treatment is applied inadequately, it not only fails to accomplish the prevention or treatment of injuries but also can produce an adverse effect on the muscle area, such as disturbing physical movements, and increasing susceptibility to blood circulation disorders or nervous disorders. Therefore the taping method can be applied only by those who are skilled in the method but not by those who are not.
As for the latter supporter method, such supporters can be worn easily, but since they simply compress strongly a certain region from the circumference they often prevent proper blood circulation to cause discomfort and sometimes result in blood circulation disorders, or increased susceptibility to injury due to dulled sensitivity of the vicinity of the region. Also, since a supporter for a heel, in general, extends only to the ankle, it cannot apply the upward force to the heel to stabilize the region. Besides, since materials such as a rubber material including neoprene or a thick pile material are used, there are problems such as influence on physical movements in sports caused by difficulty of moving the part applied with a supporter, or deteriorated ventilation and stuffiness.